Fuel dehydrating and straining funnel with leg supports



Aug. 25, 1953 T. JOHNSTON FUEL DEHYDRATING AND STRAINING FUNNEL WITH LEG SUPPORTS Filed Dec. 15, 1950 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1953 FUEL DEHYDRATING AND STRAININ G FUNNEL WITH LEG SUPPORTS Thomas Johnston, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada Application December 13, 1950, Serial No. 200,523

, In Canada April 8, 1950 1 Claim.

My invention relates to a fuel dehydrating and straining funnel with leg supports, and the object of my invention is to provide a device which is usable for the dual purpose of removal of water as well as for cleansing the gasoline or other liquids during the process of'pouring the same into a receptacle from a barrel or tank.

Another object of my invention is the provision of retractably adjustable legs slidably attached to the sides of the funnel for regulating the height thereof, and for resting the funnel firmly on a tank when filling same.

An advantage of this dual purpose funnel is that it may be used in its conventional way without dehydrating the gasoline, and has a straining screen as well as a float indicator, and also includes a special gasoline dehydrating compartment in which any water residue as well as the finely suspended dirt particles in the gasoline will be strained therefrom as it is poured into and passes through this special compartment.

The means adopted for the dehydrating and initial straining processes are a filter pad, preferably of fine felt, affixed with set screws into the bottom of the special dehydrating compartment of the funnel, and the dirt straining means comprises a gauze screen at the top of the outlet spout of the funnel. The float mentioned hangs loosely within this bottom outlet spout, its spindle, threaded for adjustment, being suspended from a bracket within the larger and more generally used compartment, and is guided slidably in a bracket below the gauge screen.

Another means for the same purpose of dehydrating the gasoline of a slightly different construction, provides for a fine felt strainer to be suspended as a bag within the dehydrating compartment, and held removably in place by hooks. This strainer is connected to the bottom of the funnel by means of a spring so that it may be readily removed by merely disconnecting the bottom plate of the screen from the spring.

With the above mentioned objects and advantages in view this invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, and in the drawings accompanying this specification it must be observed that similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the different views.

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the dual compartment funnel.

Fig. 2 is a fragmented and partly sectionalized elevation showing the flat fixed strainer.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the funnel.

Fig. 4 is a fragmented view in part section of 2 the funnel showing the suspended felt strainer.

In the drawings the numeral l refers to a funnel with its body portion having more or less flat sides and with semicircularly shaped ends. The funnel is provided at its bottom with a gradually reduced discharge end 2 terminating in a gradually reduced spout 3. The top of the funnel is trimmed with a reinforcing bead 4.

The spout 3 forms the housing for a float 5 suspended therein by a float rod 6. An upright partition I divides the body portion of this funnel into two compartments 8 and 9, the compartment 8 being slightly smaller than the compartment 9. On this partition member, and within the compartment 9 is at least one bracket [0 holed to receive the said rod 6 in a slidable manner. This rod is threaded at its upper end, and a stop H screwed thereon as a means of adjusting the height of the float 5 to indicate the height of the fuel in the tank being filled in order to avoid overflow.

As in the form shown in Figures 2 and 3 the bottom edge of the partition I is bent inwardly into the smaller compartment 8 as at 1a in order to support a peripheral ring I2 around the bottom of this compartment and above the discharge portion 2. This ring is also supported on a bracket I3 on the inside face of this compartment. A filter pad It is attached to this ring by means of small studs l5.

A fine mesh straining screen 16 is soldered in place at the junction of the discharge portion 2 and the bottom spout 3, and through which the rod 6 slides. In order to prevent wear on the screen at this point a bracket I611 is disposed immediately below the screen to which the screen is soldered. This bracket is supported by a rod ltb attached to the partition I, which rod also sup-ports the bracket or brackets l0, and the rod 6 slides freely through this lower bracket lBa.

My invention includes a handy means of support for the funnel as seen in Figures 1 and 3, in which a pair of slidable legs H are so shaped as to fit springably into side brackets attached to the flat outer faces of the sides of the funnel. These legs are for resting the funnel on a tank to be filled, and are sufiiciently resilient to maintain their positions within the brackets when pulled down in their funnel-supporting position, or pushed up when not required.

The lower end 19 of each of these legs is bowed inwardly to conform approximately to the topof a tank. The upper end 20 of each prong of the leg is bent outwardly to keep the leg in place in its bracket.

The smaller compartment 8 is essentially the dehydrating compartment of this funnel, into which the fuel may be poured, particularly from the lower part of a fuel container in which water may and so often does accumulate. This compartment communicates with the discharge portion 2 of the funnel and a further clarification takes place over and through the strainer I6. Ordinarily the liquid would be poured through the compartment 9, or even through both compartments 8 and 9 at the same time for straining through the mesh screen I6 when the fuel does not necessarily need dehydrating.

In Figure 4 is shown another arrangement of felt or similarly effective straining element 14a within the compartment 8. In this arrangement the strainer takes the shape of a bag in place of the flat form previously described. Hooks 2| support this strainer from the rolled edge 4 of the funnel and the top of the partition I, so that the strainer may easily be removed. The felt sides of this bag shaped strainer'are attached to a plate 22 forming the bottom of the .bag. A spring 23 is braced between this plate and the bottom of the funnel being hooked to the plate and fixedly attached to the funnel so that the bag may be removed and held securely in place.

What I claim and for which I desire to secure Letters Patent:

A funnel of the character described, comprising a body having a reduced discharge bottom aperture, a discharge spout leading from said bottom aperture, an upright partition dividing the body into a dehydrating compartment on the one side thereof and a conventional fuel filling compartment on the other side thereof, both said compartments discharging into and through said bottom apertured body and said discharge spout for filling purposes, a water-separating and dirtfiltering-out porous bag removably suspended within said dehydrating compartment from the upper edges of said partition and that :part of the body bounding said dehydrating compartment, a spring releasably securing said bag in said dehydrating compartment, a mesh screen in the upper end of said spout for screening liquid passing from one or both of said compartments therethrough, float means suspended Within the funnel including a buoyant member depending from a slidable rod integral therewith and supported in brackets on said partition to indicate a sufiiciency of fuel passed through, and a pair of retractable side legs attached to the outside of the said body to support it on a receptacle to be filled.

THOMAS JOHNSTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 304,390 Williams et a1 Sept. 2, 1884 625,551 Georgen May 23, 1899 638,698 Bourie Dec. 12, 1899 1,081,030 Entorf Dec. 9, 1913 1,536,890 Sagemann May 5, 1925 1,591,491 Judge July 6, 1926 1,734,841 Walden Nov. 5, 1929 2,131,423 Babson et al Sept. 27, 1938 

